Apple Releases tvOS 16.4 for Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

Apple today released tvOS 16.4, the fourth major point update to the tvOS 16 operating system that came out last September. Available for the Apple TV 4K and ‌Apple TV‌ HD, tvOS 16.4 comes two months following the release of tvOS 16.3.

apple tv 4k red image
The tvOS 16.4 update can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ by going to System > Software Update. ‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to ‌tvOS 16.4 automatically.

tvOS updates are often minor in scale, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than outward-facing changes. The 16.4 update adds a Dim Flashing Lights option that is meant to dim the display when there are flashes of light or strobe effects.

This update adds Dim Flashing Lights, an accessibility option to automatically dim the display of video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected, and includes performance and stability improvements.

Apple shares information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
airtag purple

New AirTag Rumored to Launch in Mid-2025 With These Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
M4 MacBook Pros Thumb

M4 MacBook Pro Uses Quantum Dot Display Technology

Thursday November 14, 2024 4:19 pm PST by
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results. Young says that Apple has opted for KSF for prior MacBook Pro models because it doesn't use toxic element cadmium (typical for quantum dot) and is more...
AirPods Crackling Feature

Apple Customers Sue Over Unfixed AirPods Pro Crackling Issue

Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds. A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
google gemini

Google Releases Standalone Gemini AI App for iPhone

Thursday November 14, 2024 2:54 am PST by
Google has launched its dedicated Gemini artificial intelligence app for iPhone users, expanding beyond the previous limited integration within the main Google app. The standalone app offers enhanced functionality, including support for Gemini Live and iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration. The new app allows iPhone users to interact with Google's AI through text or voice...

Top Rated Comments

xpxp2002 Avatar
22 months ago

I hope you didn't buy the poverty version without the ethernet port.
The elimination of the Ethernet port on the Apple TV is one of the most infuriating and consumer-unfriendly "upsell" tactics I've seen Apple do to date.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
22 months ago

The elimination of the Ethernet port on the Apple TV is one of the most infuriating and consumer-unfriendly "upsell" tactics I've seen Apple do to date.
On the other hand... the difference between the "normal" Apple TV and the "good" Apple TV is only $20.

In my mind that's gotta be the least-offensive upsell that Apple has ever offered. :p

For $20 you get an Ethernet port, a Thread radio, and double the storage. That's really not bad.

Though I gotta wonder why Apple even made the "normal" version in the first place. If they only offered the "good" model at $149, that's still cheaper than the previous generation which started at $179.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xpxp2002 Avatar
22 months ago
Ever since tvOS 16.2, my TV won't turn on using HDMI-CEC and makes weird static noises when I turn it on manually after the Apple TV turns it off.

Hopefully this finally fixes it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
melapple Avatar
22 months ago
Guys, we’ve always complained about large tv libraries taking forever to load in the movies app well, guess what, I have not yet updated my 3rd gen Apple TV HD to today’s release but I’m happy to report that my 700 plus movies library loads in about 3 secs (vs about 30 prior to today). They must have changed something server-side
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Devnul0 Avatar
22 months ago
I've only occasionally been able to control my Yamaha receiver via HDMI-CEC and the ATV remote volume buttons since 16 came out. Setup is a TiVo and the ATV going HDMI into the TV, the TV doing the input selection, then HDMI out to the receiver for eArc and CEC. For a while I thought the magic was to ensure that the TV had selected the ATV as the input before I turned on the ATV, but even that proved unreliable. The ATV remote power button wouldn't turn on the system any more, and holding the power button would turn off only the ATV not the TV or stereo.
I hope this update makes it all work again like it did with 15.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomnavratil Avatar
22 months ago
Hopefully they fix the annoying bug where you can't control the soundbar or HDMI CEC-connected sound device in general via the volume buttons (even after trying to learn it over and over).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)